“Glembatumumab vedotin (CDX-011) induced a disease control rate (DCR) of 61% in patients with metastatic uveal melanoma, despite a low a low objective response rate (ORR) of 6%, according to results from the the phase II NCI9855 study.

“A study by J. William Harbour, M.D., Associate Director for Basic Research and leader of the Eye Cancer Site Disease Group at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and colleagues, published today in Clinical Cancer Research, details the discovery of a biomarker that puts patients at a higher risk for metastasis of uveal melanoma.

“Among uveal melanomas categorized as class 1, those with high levels of the biomarker PRAME mRNA were more likely to metastasize than those with low levels of PRAME mRNA, indicating that patients with this biomarker be monitored more closely for metastatic disease.

“IMCgp100 (Immunocore) is part of a class of bispecific biologic reagents known as ImmTACs, or immune-mobilizing monoclonal T-cell receptors against cancer.

“The agents combine a T-cell receptor-based targeting system with an anti-CD3 effector function designed to activate a specific and potent T-cell response to recognize and destroy cancer cells, according to Immunocore.”

“As the field of liquid biopsies for tracking disease progression and therapeutic response heats up, many doctors are looking for ways to apply this approach to their patients. Currently, assays for circulating tumor cells (CTCs) – one type of liquid biopsy – have been approved for diagnostic purposes in metastatic breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer. In these diseases, the presence of CTCs in the peripheral blood is associated with decreased progression-free survival and decreased overall survival. The major challenge for this technology is that CTCs are not always found in the blood of patients with aggressive disease who would be expected to have high numbers. Now, researchers at Thomas Jefferson University investigating uveal melanoma, a type of melanoma that originates in the eye, have shown that the low numbers could simply be explained by where the blood is drawn – whether from a vein or an artery.”

“AstraZeneca’s much anticipated cancer drug pipeline suffered a modest blow on Wednesday when the experimental drug selumetinib failed to meet its goal in a late-stage trial for a rare cancer of the eye.

“The drugmaker said the disappointing result in uveal melanoma would not affect other studies using the drug. Selumetinib is being investigated primarily as a treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

“Selumetinib belongs to a class of cancer drugs known as MEK inhibitors, which includes Novartis’s approved product Mekinist and the experimental compound cobimetinib from Roche and Exelixis.

“Current consensus analyst forecasts for selumetinib, which is designed for use alongside chemotherapy, point to relatively minor sales of $305 million in 2020, according to Thomson Reuters Cortellis.”

“Pharmaceutical companies are teaming up to combine experimental therapies that may help combat metastatic cutaneous and uveal melanomas in a whole new way. The novel international collaboration may bring new combined targeted therapies to the market much sooner.

“Eli Lilly and Immunocore Limited are collaborating in immunotherapy-based clinical trials to evaluate the utility of Immunocore’s lead T-cell receptor-based investigational drug IMCgp100. This agent will be combined with Lilly’s galunisertib (LY2157299) and merestinib (LY2801653) for melanoma treatment. The investigators will explore the durability and efficacy of potential combined regimens in patients with metastatic cutaneous and uveal melanomas.

“ ‘Combining our ImmTAC, IMCgp100 with Lilly’s galunisertib and merestinib has the potential to transform the treatment of metastatic cutaneous and uveal melanoma. Immunocore is committed to the development of IMCgp100 in metastatic uveal and cutaneous melanoma where there is such great unmet medical need,’ said Eliot Forster, who is chief executive officer of Immunocore, Oxford, England.”

“Aura Biosciences, a biotech company developing highly tumor-targeted breakthrough therapies for rare cancers, has been granted Orphan Disease Designation by the FDA for its drug AU-011 for the treatment of Uveal Melanoma. The FDA’s Orphan Drug Designation program provides orphan status to drugs and biologics, which demonstrate promise for the diagnosis and/or treatment of rare diseases or conditions in the US. In addition, the first oral presentation of Aura Biosciences’ pre-clinical research, ‘Evaluating the in vivo efficacy of a first-in-class drug for the treatment of primary uveal melanoma’, was recently delivered by McGill University Health Centre researchers at the ARVO (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology) Annual Meeting.

“ ‘There are currently no approved drug therapies for the treatment of uveal melanoma which is a rare but life threatening disease. We are thrilled to receive this Orphan Drug Designation that, together with the positive preclinical data, is enabling us to move this drug one step closer to the clinic,’ said Elisabet de los Pinos, founder and CEO of Aura Biosciences.”

“Jonathan S. Zager, MD, FACS, director of regional therapies and chair of graduate medical education at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, and colleagues, including Andrea M. Abbott, MD, of surgical oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center, analyzed data of 30 patients with cutaneous or uveal melanoma that metastasized to the liver after treatment with percutaneous hepatic perfusion (PHP), yttrium-90 (Y90) or chemoembolization using melphalan hydrochloride for injection with the Delcath Hepatic Delivery System (Melphalan/HDS, Delcath Systems, Inc.). The Melphalan/HDS is a system designed to supply high-dose chemotherapy to the liver while controlling systemic exposure, according to the Delcath website.”